


Introduction to Kissing

by LetMeLeadForever



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 13:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5419586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetMeLeadForever/pseuds/LetMeLeadForever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or: The Five Times Abed and Troy Kiss, and the One Time It Meant Something</p>
            </blockquote>





	Introduction to Kissing

1.

"Abed."

It's past ten o'clock and Troy knows he should be asleep by now. He is usually asleep by now, because Abed likes it when things are in order, so he's gotten used to the familiar pattern of coming home, watching movies, and falling asleep at ten o'clock - after a warm glass of milk, or some disaster food that they thought would taste awesome.

There's a squeak of springs as Abed moves in the bunk above his, a soft shuffle of blankets before a pair of feet are dangling over the edge.

"Troy," he responds, his voice lacking the thickness that usually accompanied waking up. Maybe Abed hadn't fallen asleep yet. Maybe he had known Troy would want to talk, because it's Abed, and what didn't Abed know? Apart from a few things about Nicholas Cage, but the study group had promised not to mention that.

"Can you remember that list you made? Of all the things you wanted to do in college?" Troy prompts, watching Abed stretch his toes downwards without making any attempt to leave the top bunk. He doesn't question why Abed sleeps with socks on, because Abed doesn't question why Troy doesn't. His eyes focus on a little hole on the heel of his socks, where the grey fabric clings together with a single strand of wool.

"The College Cliches list," Abed says, and Troy doesn't have to be able to see his face to know he's nodding.

"You didn't complete it." He'd almost completed it. Almost. There was just a single black box that hadn't been ticked. Troy thought about it a lot; he never really mentioned it, because he hadn't been sure why it bothered him, but now just suddenly felt like the right time. Almost finished just wasn't good enough.

"Sometimes people don't complete lists. Like in My Name is Earl." Troy wants to say that Abed wouldn't make a good Earl, and that he would make an even worse Randy (though, he could probably pull of Joy, at a stretch), but decides against it.

"I know." Troy reaches to play with a loose thread on the collar of his shirt, pulling at the soft fabric of his PJs. "Doesn't it bother you, though?" It bothers Troy, and he's not even entirely sure why. Troy doesn't even like completing things, but the list just seemed useless unless they finished it. Unless Abed finished it. It was Abed's list.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, after a long pause. Troy turns his attentions to Abed's bare legs, wondering how they could look even skinnier in the dark.

"No," Troy scoffs, because he knows it shouldn't bother him. Abed will know he's lying. Troy doesn't usually bring up anything unless it bothers him. He watches as Abed pops his toe through a hole in the front of his socks, and Troy wishes he knew how his friend's brain worked.

Abed's jumps down from the bunk bed, and Troy's sits up in the same motion, as if something final is about to happen. Something they both understand. Abed's hair sticks up at odd angles, either from lying down or from running his fingers through it, and his shirt has a picture of Inspector Spacetime on it. He thinks about how truly tragic the Christmas special is as Abed leans down to kiss him. He thinks that they need a new toothpaste, too, because the one they have is kinda strong and burns his lips.

Abed pulls away after a second, tilts his head and considers Troy. "You didn't get the patent for the Dreamatorium, did you?"

"No. I'll get it tomorrow, I promise."

Abed isn't the best at reading human emotions because it just isn't as easy as predicting human behaviour, but he decides that Troy looks happier now the list has finished. Or hungry. He had thrown up after eating their Raw Egg Tacos (patent pending), so it would make sense.

"Cool. Cool, cool, cool."

Abed clambers back into his bed, waits until Troy's breathing evens out, before letting himself drift to sleep.

2.

A bottle of vodka sits in the middle of the carpet of apartment 303, aimed towards Abed like an accusational finger. Jeff and Britta had spent fifteen minutes arguing about who would drain the bottle to play the 'stupid, childish game' (Jeff's exact words, but yet he had still joined in), which had quickly spun into a conversation about which vodka was better. Jeff fought ardently for the reputation of Smirnoff whereas Britta was a knight defending the honour of Absolut.

Jeff was called pretentious, Britta was called a hipster, and Annie had downed the bottle - no one mentioned how she was too young, and Abed had assumed it was because she was more mature than most of them.

"Abed, have you ever....you know?" Annie made an attempt at sounding concerned, but came across as condescending. Abed didn't know.

"He doesn't have to kiss me," Troy decided, quickly, too quickly, and everyone's eyes were on him. Troy usually didn't mind the assumption that he and Abed were close, really close, but he didn't like the way everyone was looking at him.

"You seem a little defensive, Troy," Britta says, slowly, and Troy really doesn't want to be analysed by an almost-but-not-really therapist right now. He was just...protecting his best friend's honour; Troy hadn't assumed Britta wanted to make out with Absolut.

"You're the worst. Are you going to say he wants to kill his Dad and sleep with is Mom now?" Jeff mocks, and Britta rises to the bait, the two beginning another row that no one cares about. Troy's pretty sure he hears them bickering about bagels, as well, but he isn't too sure because Annie and Abed are staring at him still.

"I had to kiss Britta," Annie mentions, quietly, as if she doesn't want to interrupt the argument. Troy's almost glad, because he doesn't want to be observed like some monkey in a cage. He really misses Annie's Boobs.

Abed kisses him, softly, quickly, before Troy really knows what is happening. Like the first time. Except now it isn't dark, so he can see Abed's eyes close, and focus on the tiny stain of tomato sauce on the right shoulder of his shirt. He doesn't taste like toothpaste anymore, or much of anything, but Troy's lips still burn when Abed pulls away.

He spends the rest of the night thinking about how hard his Nana would hit him with a switch if she found out, and missing something he can't quite put a finger on (he assumes it's Annie Boobs).

3.

Abed, after watching the newest movie and spending countless hours surfing through an invention called 'FanFiction', decides that Inspector Spacetime belongs with Constable Reggie. Troy disagrees. Clearly, Inspector Spacetime belongs with Doctor Clarissa, because she's almost as smart as him.

"To the Dreamatorium," Abed demands at Troy's absurd notion, springing to his feet and not pausing for a second to check if Troy is following him, because of course he is. Troy feels guilty that he still hasn't gotten the patent for the Deamatorium.

Abed doesn't like it when they disagree on things, because they agree on everything, and disagreement causes friction that the audiences wouldn't like. It seems wrong, that they can agree on what pizza toppings are the best and what temperature the apartment should be at, and yet Troy can't see how perfect Inspector Spacetime and Constable Reggie are for each other.

"Begin simulation."

It's instanteous, the way the two fall into character with the ease of people that have done this countless times before. They aren't Abed and Troy in apartment 303 anymore, they're defenders of the galaxy that would die for each other if the scene called for it.

Abed reaches out, fingers curling tentatively around Troy's arm, and it becomes obvious which scene Abed has planned for them. A reenactment of Inspector Spacetime's death in the newest movie, in which he died in Reggie's arms, and Troy thinks that just isn't playing fair because of course they had clear tension in that scene. But, Troy isn't Troy anymore, so he can't argue with Abed's decision yet.

Instead, Troy is reaching out, clasping at Abed's shirt, drawing him closer. "Inspector Spacetime? What's wrong?" There is desperation painted on both of their faces, and Troy can feel Reggie's pain as closely as if it was his own. They sink to the ground together, never letting go.

"You know what's happening, Constable. I'm sorry." Troy knows. Constable Reggie knows. He can feel himself start to sob, trying to shake Inspector Spacetime, begging him to do something to stop this.

"How am I supposed to say goodbye?" he echoes, almost proud at how similar to the Constable he sounds. Inspector Spacetime's death was quick, and shoddily written, but Troy had still admired the scene for the finality it gave. He liked shows that ended in that way, tying up all their loose ends, and he knew Abed did, too.

"Don't," Inspector Spacetime sighs, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips, before he's falling into his arms in a limp pile of limbs. Troy rocks unsteadily, before managing to support Abed's weight, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Inspector Spacetime's forehead.

A simple kiss. A final goodbye. The perfect ending.

He isn't sure how he screws up so badly, but his lips are pressing against Abed's lips instead of his forehead, and the simulation begins to break down until it's just the two of them kissing gently on the floor of the Dreamatorium.

Troy doesn't know how much time has passed, but Annie breaks them apart by banging on the door, already lecturing them on how they can't use her clothes to clean up their messes. Abed cocks his head, wiping his lips with the back of his hand because it's what people do in the movies.

"Cool. Cool, cool, cool."

Troy can maybe understand why Abed thinks Inspector Spacetime and Reggie are perfect for each other (he won't, however, drop his argument that Clarissa is the prettiest alien on the show).

4.

Abed asks Troy what he wants for his 'totally-not-a-birthday-but-just-a-random-day-that-might-happen-to-be-the-day-he-was-born' (and asks why they keep letting Britta name things). Troy says he would like a packet of kisses, because he's been craving something sweet and they're clearly the best sweets.

Abed spends a moment staring at him in confusion and Troy finds out why when he wakes up on his birth-day (but not his birthday) to Taco Pancakes - patent pending - and Abed pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

5.

Britta starts to come over a lot more, which wouldn't really bother Abed, if it wasn't for the loud duet of 'Roxanne' that came from Annie's bedroom whenever she was over. It means that Abed and Troy have to find something to entertain themselves that isn't TV, being in the Dreamatorium, or doing Troy and Abed in the Morning.

"Abed?" Troy questions, placing the Ace of Spades down on the table. He was trying to show Abed a magic trick, but his best friend had worked out what was happening within seconds, so now he was just kinda separating the cards into piles. Abed liked watching Troy's hands move.

"Troy," he responds, watching as Troy fiddled with the Hearts, before neatening the small pile he'd made.

"What happens after the six seasons are up? Our six seasons?" Troy knew that Britta didn't like it when he indulged Abed in this kind of stuff, but he couldn't shake the thought from his head. Maybe Abed would just...leave the group, and find some other people to make a TV show with, and Troy didn't like that thought one bit.

"A movie," Abed replies, instantly, as if he has everything planned out.

"And? After that?"

Abed didn't think there was an after that. Very little happened after a movie was made, apart from maybe a reunion many years later, or a possible revamp depending on how badly the last few seasons went. Troy was doing his eyebrow thing, however, and Abed knew he needed to comfort him.

"A spin-off. Troy and Abed in the Morning," he begins, by himself, before they both descend into their familiar theme song. "Jeff and Shirley will probably open a bakery together, and Annie and Britta will have a domestic lesbian thing going on."

"Annie and Britta?" Troy wonders aloud, as they both glance towards the closed door. Annie's laugh rings higher than the music from inside the room, and Troy nods like it's just becoming obvious to him. "They're together."

"Yeah. They've been spending a lot of time together. I thought you would have noticed."

Troy considers this, before turning his gaze from the cards, shuffling them together without looking at them. He doesn't bother picking the Queen of Hearts up as it tumbles to the ground. "We spend a lot of time together."

"We do," Abed confirms, as if the statement needed confirmation. Jeff comments on it constantly, and Troy ignores Shirley's sly comments about their apartment being a 'room of sin'.

"We're not dating."

They fall silent again, Abed moving to poke absently at the Taco Pizzas they had made. He spends an awful long time arranging them neatly on his plate, rearranging the cheese, feeling them begin to grow colder under his touch. "We aren't," he agrees, before smiling.

He leans forward, and brushes his lips against Troy's cheek, before standing to his feet.

"Constable Reggie, I think I hear someone attacking," Abed announces, directing his gaze towards Annie's room, where there was a heavy thump, followed by another round of giggles. Abed and Troy, Inspector Spacetime and Reggie, dash to the rescue.

+1.

"I missed you."

Sailing had been pretty boring. He'd been gone for months, completely missed the new season of Inspector Spacetime (because his death had, obviously, been an elaborate ruse to protect Reggie), and he had spent the entire time terrified that Abed would find a new best friend. Abed hadn't (thankfully). He's grown closer to Annie, especially after she had broken up with Britta, an event that had only lasted two episodes before they realized they were right for each other all along, but that was it.

"That's the homing pigeon talking," Abed nods, and Troy laughs, throwing his arms around Abed. It's awkward, because Abed refuses to bend down, so he mostly hugs his best friend's torso, but he doesn't really mind.

"We had the movie without you. We went on a roadtrip." Troy nods along, remembering how much he had missed everything about Abed. Abed misses Troy nodding along at whatever he says.

"I guess we'll have to skip to the spin-off, then."

Abed's about to respond, probably to say something about how there has to be a lot of work up to a spin-off, and some kind of premise, but Troy isn't really listening. He doesn't want to listen, not yet, not now.

He kisses Abed, and Abed smiles into the kiss, and this time Troy doesn't think much of anything.


End file.
